Food cooking apparatus with drain spigot

ABSTRACT

A cooking apparatus includes a container, a spigot, a lid, and a food support. The container has a bottom surface and a side wall that extends upwardly from the bottom surface to a top edge of the side wall. The spigot is attached to the container side wall and has a valve member that is selectively positionable between opened and closed positions. The spigot valve member allows liquid contents of the container to drain from the container when in the opened position, and prevents the contents from draining out of the container when in the closed position. The food support is comprised of a perforated horizontal member with a perforated side wall extending upwardly from the horizontal member. A plurality of vertical members spaced around the periphery of the horizontal member extend upwardly from the horizontal member. The food support is dimensioned to fit within the interior of the container and some of the vertical members have top ends with integral support connectors that are adapted to engage with the side wall top edge to suspend the food support in a spaced relation from the container bottom surface.

This is a divisional patent application from patent application Ser. No.09/593,223, filed Jun. 14, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,737.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(i) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to cooking apparatus, andspecifically to cooking apparatus designed for deep frying of poultryand other food items and for steaming or boiling food items.

(ii) Description of the Related Art

Typical deep frying food cooking apparatus (deep fryers) include acontainer in which oil is heated and a basket or food support on whichfood items are placed and then lowered into the heated oil in thecontainer to be cooked. Prior art fryers include large fryers forcooking large items such as turkeys, which often have their own supportstand and heat source, and smaller fryers for cooking smaller items thatcan be used on a kitchen stove top or countertop. When deep frying largefood items, such as turkeys or other poultry items, or smaller itemssuch as french fries, vegetables or fish, the user is exposed to thedanger of large amounts of oil at very high temperatures, typically 350°F. or more. When inserting frozen food items or items that containmoisture into deep fryers containing hot oil, the high temperature oilcauses the moisture to flash off the food items and thereby createsbubbling and turbulence within the hot oil which causes the hot oil tospatter, potentially burning the user of the fryer.

Typical prior art deep fryers include baskets with a handle that extendsoutward from the periphery of the basket so that a user may insert thebasket into and remove the basket from the deep fryer with minimalexposure to the dangers of the spattering hot oil. The large prior artturkey or poultry fryers typically utilize a flat plate like foodsupport which do not have the same outwardly extending handle of smallerfryers. Because of the large size of turkeys and poultry items and theirassociated weight, such a handle would not always provide a secure gripon the food support when inserting or removing the food support into orout of the hot oil. Therefore, the large prior art turkey and poultryfryer food supports typically have a center post that extends upwardlyfrom the center of the food support to a top end of the post that isadapted to be connected to a handle of some type for inserting andremoving the food support into and out of the hot oil. Typically, thecenter post also serves as a skewer upon which the turkey or poultryitems are inserted so as to hold the turkey and poultry items in acentered orientation during the cooking process. These handle assembliesof prior art turkey and poultry fryers expose the user to the dangers ofthe spattering hot oil. Specifically, because the food supports areinserted and removed from the hot oil container by a handle thatattaches to the center post of the food support, the user's hand(s) andarm(s) are exposed to the spattering hot oil when inserting the foodinto and when removing the food from the deep fryer. Therefore, theseprior art fryers require the user to wear protective clothing such aslong sleeve shirts and gloves and/or gloves with extended gauntlets toavoid the possibility of being burned by the hot oil.

Typical food steaming or boiling apparatus (food steamers) include acontainer for heating and boiling water and a basket for supporting fooditems to be boiled or steamed in the container. The basket typically hasa handle that extends across the top of the basket and, like the priorart turkey fryers, exposes the user to hot steam or boiling water wheninserting or removing the basket from the container.

When steaming food or frying turkeys, it is desirable, for propercooking, to keep the food off of the bottom surface of the container. Toaccomplish this, prior art turkey and poultry fryers typically utilize afood support that has legs extending downwardly from the bottom of thefood support. The legs serve to position the food support and the turkeyin a spaced relation from the bottom of the fryer container within whichthe turkey and the food support are placed. Likewise, prior art foodsteamers also often provide a basket that has legs extending downwardlyfrom the bottom of the basket. The disadvantage of having legs extendingdownwardly from the bottom of the food support/basket is that the usermay, when inserting or removing the food support/basket from thefryer/steamer, mistakenly believe that the entire food support/baskethas cleared the upper most part of the container, when in fact, a leg isstill extending into the container or extending outside of thecontainer. This exposes the user to the danger that a leg of the foodsupport may catch on a lip or side wall of the container and cause thefood support basket to tip and possibly spilling its food contents, orworse knock over the container and expose the user to the dangers of thespilled hot liquid of the container.

Prior art fryers and food steamers do not provide a means of drainingthe liquid contents from the container. To remove the liquid contentsfrom the container, typical prior art fryers and food steamers requirethe user to pour the liquid contents of the container out of the top ofthe container, much like pouring water from a bucket. This method ofremoving the liquid contents of the container exposes the user to thedangers of spilling the contents and, if still hot, burning anyone whocomes in contact with the spilled liquid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of prior art fryers andfood steamers by providing a cooking apparatus that minimizes the user'sexposure to the hot contents of the cooking apparatus. The cookingapparatus of the present invention includes a food support that does nothave legs extending downwardly from the food support and, therefore,does not expose the user to the potential dangers associated with thesupport legs protruding below the food support discussed above.Furthermore, the present invention also provides a cooking apparatuscontainer with a spigot that allows the liquid contents to be safelydrained without requiring the container to be tipped on its side to pourout the liquid contents.

In one embodiment, a cooking apparatus is provided that is adapted to beutilized with existing cooking containers that are suitable for hightemperature heating of the desired cooking medium, such as oil or water.The cooking apparatus is dimensioned so that it may be easily insertedinto and removed from the cooking container. The cooking apparatusincludes a food support that has a horizontal member which is adaptedfor receiving and supporting food items placed thereon. Extendingupwardly from the horizontal member is at least one vertical memberhaving a top end. The top end has a support connector which is designedto be utilized to suspend the food support in the cooking container. Alid is provided that has a handle and a lid connector. The lid connectoris complementary to and selectively connectable to the supportconnector. The user can selectively engage the lid connector with thesupport connector and use the lid to lift the food support and suspendthe food support from the lid.

By utilizing a lid having a lid connector that is selectivelyconnectable to the support connector, the user may insert or remove thefood support from the cooking container using the lid. The lid providesprotection for the user from the spattering of the hot liquid contentsof the cooking container. The cooking apparatus of the invention therebyovercomes disadvantages of prior art fryers and food steamers.

In another embodiment, a cooking apparatus is provided with both acontainer and a food support. The container has a bottom surface and aside wall that extends upwardly from the container bottom surface to atop edge of the side wall. The container bottom surface and side walldefine an interior of the container which is capable of holding thedesired cooking medium, i.e. water or oil. The container is furthercapable of being heated to a high temperature for the cooking of food.The food support has a horizontal member which is adapted for supportingfood items placed thereon. Extending upwardly from the horizontal memberis at least one vertical member. The at least one vertical member has asupport connector on it. However, in this embodiment, the supportconnector is designed and adapted to engage with the top edge of thecontainer side wall and the container side wall top edge is adapted toengage with the support connector.

The at least one vertical member is dimensioned so that when the foodsupport is placed within the container interior, the support connectorengages with the side wall top edge and the horizontal member issuspended in a spaced relation from the bottom surface of the container.By having the support connector engage with the side wall top edge inorder to suspend the food support in a spaced relation from thecontainer bottom surface, the necessity of having legs extendingdownwardly below the horizontal member is eliminated. Therefore, thepresent invention overcomes the previously discussed disadvantages ofthe prior art fryers and food steamers having food supports with legs.

This embodiment can also be provided with a lid for the container whichhas lid connectors on the lid. The lid connectors are adapted to beselectively connectable to the support connectors. This allows the foodsupport to be inserted into and removed from the container interior bythe lid, providing all the protective benefits of a lid, as mentionedabove. Alternatively, the food support of the cooking apparatus can beraised and lowered by a pair of grab hooks of the type used in the priorart. The grab hooks can be selectively connectable to the supportconnector engaged over the side wall of the container. This enables theuser to lower the food support into or remove the food support from thecontainer interior while with minimal exposure to the hot contents ofthe container.

In yet another embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes a spigotattached to the container side wall and in communication with thecontainer interior. The spigot has a valve member and a spout. The valvemember is selectively positionable between an opened position and aclosed position relative to the spigot. The spout is in communicationwith the spigot when the valve member is in the open position, therebyopening a flow path from the container interior through the spigot andthe spout. When the valve member is in the closed position the spout isnot in communication with the spigot and the valve member effectivelycloses the flow path from the container interior through the spigot andthe spout. By having a spigot attached to the container side wallcommunicating with the container interior, the liquid content of thecontainer can be selectively drained from the container interior in acontrolled fashion. The use of the spigot overcomes the prior artdisadvantage of requiring the contents of the container to be dumped orpoured out of the container by tipping the container horizontally, muchlike pouring water out of a bucket. The spigot thereby reduces thedangers associated with removing hot liquid contents from the container.

Additionally, the spigot is provided with a stop which is connected tothe spigot and extends outwardly from the spigot around the valvemember. The stop is dimensioned and adapted to limit movement of thevalve member beyond the opened position, and thereby prevents the valvemember from being removed from the spigot which would result inuncontrolled discharge of the hot container contents through the spigot.

In another embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes a container and alid. The container has a bottom surface and a side wall that extendsupwardly from the container bottom surface to a top edge of the sidewall. The container bottom surface and side wall define an interior ofthe container which is capable of holding the desired cooking medium,i.e. water or oil. The container is further capable of being heated to ahigh temperature for the cooking of food. The lid is dimension to fitover the container side wall top edge and has a handle. The lid also hasa peripheral edge, a vertical central axis and opposite top and bottomsurfaces. The top and bottom lid surfaces slant downwardly as the topand bottom lid surfaces extend radially inwardly from the peripheraledge toward the vertical central axis and form a central depression inthe lid.

By utilizing a lid with a central depression, the lid provides a pointfor any liquids that accumulate on the lid bottom surface to drip off ofthe lid. The drip point promotes the removal of liquids from the lidbottom surface-and into the container when the lid is on or above thecontainer and minimizes the possibility of uncontrolled liquid drippingoff of the lid bottom surface in undesirable locations.

Thus, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior artfryers and food steamers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objectives and features of the present invention are set forthin the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of theinvention and in the drawing figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cooking apparatus of the inventionthat is comprised of a container, a spigot, a lid, and a food supportresiding in the interior of the container;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the cooking apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective, exploded view of the container, spigot, andfood support;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the food support being suspended fromthe lid;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the spigot;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the cooking apparatus of FIG. 1showing the food support being suspended by the container rim and alsoengaged with the lid connectors; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the lid of FIG. 4 along line 7—7without the food support.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used herein, words such as “horizontal” and “vertical” are notintended to be strictly construed in describing the invention. A“horizontal” member could have only a general horizontal configurationand a “vertical” member could have only a general verticalconfiguration.

FIG. 1 shows the cooking apparatus, generally indicated as 20, of theinvention. The cooking apparatus 20 is basically comprised of a lid 22,a container 24, a spigot 26, and a food support 28, shown in FIG. 3. Inthe preferred embodiment, each of the component parts of the apparatusare constructed of metal.

In the preferred embodiment, the lid 22 is generally circular and hasopposite top and bottom surfaces 30, 32, a center projection 33, aperipheral edge 34, a handle 36, and lid connectors 38. The lid 22 isdimensioned to fit on the container 24. The lid top and bottom surfaces30, 32 slant downwardly as the lid top and bottom surfaces 30, 32 extendradially inwardly from the peripheral edge 34 toward the centerprojection 33. The slanting of the lid top and bottom surfaces 30, 32form a central depression 39 in the lid 22. The central depression 39and the center projection 33 are adapted to promote liquid on the lidbottom surface 32 to flow by gravity downwardly along the lid bottomsurface 32 and toward the center projection 33 where the liquid willdrip off of the lid bottom surface 32. The lid 22 also has a rim 40 thatextends downwardly from the peripheral edge 34 beyond the lid bottomsurface 32. The lid rim 40 extends around most of the peripheral edge 34of the lid but is interrupted by a pair of notches 41 in the rim onopposite sides of the lid. The notches 41 in the lid rim are adapted toaccommodate portions of the food support 28 in the container 24 in amanner yet to be described, while still providing a good fit between thelid 22 and the container 24. The notches 41 also allow steam or vapor toexit the container through the notches while cooking. Although, whenusing the cooking apparatus 20 to deep fry poultry, the lid 22 istypically not left on the container 24 while the poultry is beingcooked. The handle 36 and the lid connectors 38 are formed from a singlemetal rod. The handle 36 is formed in a generally rectangular shape atthe middle of the rod and the lid connectors 38 are formed as J-shapedhooks at opposite ends of the rod. The rod is secured to the lid topsurface 30 by welding, riveting, or other equivalent means with thehandle projecting perpendicularly upward from the lid top surface andthe lid connectors 38 projecting downwardly from opposite sides of thelid adjacent ends of the notches 41 in the lid rim 40.

In the preferred embodiment, the food support 28 is generallycylindrical in shape and is adapted to support food items placedthereon. However, it is to be understood that the food support 28 couldhave other configurations such as rectangular, square, or any othershape without departing from the scope of the invention. In thepreferred embodiment, the food support 28 has a colander typeconstruction with a perforated, circular horizontal bottom member 42 anda perforated side wall 44 that extends upwardly from the periphery ofthe horizontal member 42. Two vertical members 46 on diametricallyopposite sides of the food support 28 extend upwardly from the peripheryof the horizontal member 42 beyond the perforated side wall 44 to topends 48 that are formed as support connectors 50. The support connectors50 are complementary to and selectively connectable to the lidconnectors 38 to be described. In the preferred embodiment, the supportconnectors 50 are formed as inverted U-shaped hooks that extend radiallyoutwardly from opposite sides of the food support.

While the food support 28 has been described in a specific embodiment,it should be understood that any number of vertical members 46 mayextend upwardly beyond the perforated side wall 44 and each may have topends 48 with integral support connectors 50. It should also beunderstood that the food support 28 may have a construction of a wirebasket often used in deep frying foods.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the food support 28 can be suspended from thelid 22 when the lid connectors 38 are connected to the supportconnectors 50. When the food support 28 is suspended from the lid 22 theuser may insert or remove the food support 28 from the container 24 bythe handle 36 on the lid 22. In this way, the lid 22 provides a shieldthat prevents the hot liquid contents of the container 24 fromspattering onto the user's hand and arm.

As described above, in the preferred embodiment, the lid connectors 38are J-shaped hooks and the food support connectors 50 are invertedU-shaped hooks that are complementary to the lid connectors. However, itis to be understood that the lid connectors 38 and the supportconnectors 50 can be of any complementary shapes that are selectivelyconnectable to each other without departing from the scope of theinvention. It is also to be understood that while the preferredembodiment is shown with two support connectors 50 and two lidconnectors 38, there can be any number of lid connectors 38 and supportconnectors 50 without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the preferred embodiment, the container 24 is generally cylindricalin shape and has a bottom surface 54 and a side wall 56 that extendsupwardly from the bottom surface 54 to a top edge 58 of the side wall56. The container bottom surface 54 and side wall 56 define an interior60 of the container 24. The container 24 has handles 62 attached toopposite sides of the container side wall 56. The side wall top edge 58is adapted to engage with the support connectors 50 on the food support28 to suspend the food support in the container interior 60. When thefood support 28 is placed in the container interior 60, the supportconnectors 50 engage with the side wall top edge 58, as shown in FIGS. 1and 6, to suspend the food support 28 in a spaced relation from thebottom surface 54 of the container 24.

In the preferred embodiment, the container 24 has a spigot 26. Thespigot 26 includes a valve member 64 and a spout 66. As can best be seenin FIG. 5, the spigot 26 has first and second ends 68, 70 and aninterior passageway 72 that extends through the spigot 26 from thespigot first end 68 to the spigot second end 70. The spigot passageway72 has internal screw threads 74 that extend along a portion of thespigot passageway 72 between the spigot first and second ends 68, 70.The spigot 26 is attached to the container side wall 56 at the spigotfirst end 68 near the container bottom surface 54. The spigot passageway72 communicates with the container interior 60.

The spout 66 has an interior passageway 76 and opposite first and secondends 78, 80. The spout passageway at the first end 78 communicates withthe spigot passageway 72 and the spout passageway at the second end 80opens out of the spout 66.

The valve member 64 has internal screw threads 82 and opposite first andsecond ends 84, 86. The valve member screw threads 82 mate with thespigot passageway screw threads 74 and preferably both are fine threadsto prevent leakage past the mating threads. A knob 88 is connected tothe valve member second end 86. The valve member 64 is threaded into thespigot passageway 72 with the valve member first end 84 positioned inthe spigot passageway 72 and the valve member second end 86 extendingoutwardly from the spigot second end 70. The engagement of the valvemember threads 82 with the spigot passageway threads 74 allows the valvemember 64 to be selectively rotated in the passageway and moved inopposite directions between opened and closed positions of the valvemember in the spigot passageway 72 by turning the knob 88. As set forthabove, the valve member threads 82 and the spigot passageway threads 74are preferably finely threaded, however, any thread dimensions that caneffectuate a leak tight engagement and prevent the flow of liquid oil orwater past the threads is sufficient. The selective rotation of thevalve member 64 causes the valve member 64 to move along the spigotpassageway 72 between the spigot first and second ends 68, 70 andbetween opened and closed positions of the valve member 64 relative tothe spigot 26.

When the valve member 64 is in the opened position, as shown in FIGS. 1,3 and 5, the valve member first end 84 is between the spout first end 78and the spigot second end 70, thereby creating a flow path between thespout passageway 76, the spigot passageway 72, and the containerinterior 60. When the valve member 64 is in the closed position, asshown in FIG. 2, the valve member first end 84 is between the spoutfirst end 78 and the-spigot first end 68, thereby closing the flow pathand preventing communication between the spout passageway 76 and thespigot passageway 72.

In the preferred embodiment, a valve member stop 90 is connected to thespigot second end 70. The stop 90 extends outwardly from the spigotsecond end 70 around the valve member second end 86 and the knob 88. Thestop 90 is dimensioned and adapted to limit the movement of the valvemember 64 along the spigot passageway 72 to prevent the valve memberfirst end 84 from being removed from the spigot passageway 72. While thestop 90 is shown as being “U” shaped and looping around the valve memberknob 88, it is to be understood that any configuration of the stop 90that prevents the valve member first end 84 from being removed from thespigot passageway 72 is sufficient.

In operation, the spigot 26 allows for the liquid contents of thecontainer 24 to be selectively drained from the container interior 60.When the valve member 64 is in the opened position, the spout passageway76 communicates with the spigot passageway 72 and the container interior60, thereby allowing the liquid contents of the container 24 to flowthrough the spigot passageway 72 and the spout passageway 74. To closethe valve member 64, when the valve member 64 is in the opened position,the user rotates the knob 88 with their thumb and forefinger in aclockwise direction, when looking along the spigot 26 toward thecontainer 24, thereby causing the valve member 64 to move along thespigot passageway 72 toward the spigot first end 68. When the knob 88 issufficiently rotated, the valve member 64 is in its closed position andprevents communication between the spigot passageway 72 and the spoutpassageway 76. When opening the valve member 64 from the closedposition, the user rotates the knob 88 in a counter-clockwise direction,when looking along the spigot 26 toward the container 24, therebycausing the valve member 64 to move along the spigot passageway 72toward the spigot second end 70. When the knob 88 contacts the stop 90,the valve member 64 is in the fully opened position and the spoutpassageway 76 communicates with the spigot passageway 72 and thecontainer interior 60. The stop 90 prevents the continuing movement ofthe valve member 64 toward the spigot second end 70, thereby preventingthe unintentional removal of the valve member 64 from the spigotpassageway 72.

As set forth earlier, in the preferred embodiment, the cooking apparatus20 is made out of metal, such as aluminum, carbon steel, or stainlesssteel and may contain a non-stick coating. However, it should beunderstood that any material of construction may be used that is safefor cooking food and capable of being heated to the high temperaturesnecessary for deep frying food.

In the preferred embodiment, the cooking apparatus 20 is provided with afood support 28 that has support connectors 50 that are dimensioned andadapted to engage with the container side wall top edge 58 and areselectively connectable with the lid connectors 38. In use, the userwould fill the container interior 60 with the desired cooking medium,such as water or oil, and then heat the contents of the container 24 tothe desired temperature by a heat source such as a gas burner. The userwould then place the food items to be cooked in the food support 28.Next the user would take the lid 22 and connect the lid connectors 38 tothe support connectors 50 of the food support 28, lift the food support28 into a position above the container 24, and then lower the foodsupport 28 into the container interior 60. The lid 22 provides a shieldagainst spattering hot oil or water coming into contact with the user asthe food support is lowered. As the food support 28 is being loweredinto the container 24, the support connectors 50 engage with the sidewall top edge 58 and suspend the food support 28 in a spaced relationfrom the container bottom surface 54. The user may then leave the lid 22on the container 24, if desired, or remove the lid 22. To remove the lid22, without removing the food support 28, the user would, after ensuringthe support connectors 50 are fully engaged with and being suspended bythe side wall top edge 58, rotate the lid 22 in a counterclockwisedirection, when viewed from above, to disconnect the lid connectors 38from the support connectors 50. The lengths of the lid rim notches 41and the positions of the lid connectors 38 at the ends of the notchesprovide sufficient clearance for the food support connectors 50 whenrotating the lid relative to the food support connectors. The user canthen remove the lid 22 without removing the food support 28. When it isdesired to remove the food support 28 from the container interior 60,the user would place the lid 22 on top of the container 24 with the foodsupport connectors 50 positioned in the notches 41 opposite the lidconnectors 38. The user then rotates the lid 22 clockwise, when viewedfrom above, to connect the lid connectors 38 to the support connectors50. The user may then safely lift the lid 22 and the attached foodsupport 28 from the container interior 60 with the lid 22 againproviding a shield against hot oil or water coming in contact with theuser. The user may then empty the contents of the container interior 60by opening the valve member 64 of the spigot 26, as was discussed above.

While the present invention has been described by reference to specificembodiments, it should be understood that modifications and variationsof the invention may be constructed without departing from the scope ofthe invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking apparatus comprising: a containerhaving a bottom surface and a side wall, the side wall extendingupwardly from the bottom surface to a top edge of the side wall, thebottom surface and the side wall defining an interior volume of thecontainer; at least one manual handle attached to the container sidewall, the handle being adapted for manually carrying the container bythe handle; a spigot attached to the container and communicating withthe container interior, the spigot having a spout and a valve member,the valve member being selectively positionable between an openedposition and a closed position relative to the spigot where in theopened position a flow path from the container interior volume throughthe spigot and spout is opened and in the closed position the flow pathis closed; and a stop is positioned on the spigot where the stop willengage with the valve member as the valve member is moved away from theclosed position and toward the opened position and thereby preventfurther movement of the valve member away from the closed position. 2.The cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the spigot is mounted on thecontainer side wall adjacent the container bottom surface.
 3. A cookingapparatus comprising: a container having a bottom surface and a sidewall, the side wall extending upwardly from the bottom surface to a topedge of the side wall, the bottom surface and the side wall defining aninterior volume of the container; at least one manual handle attached tothe container side wall, the handle being adapted for manually carryingthe container by the handle; a spigot attached to the container andcommunicating with the container interior, the spigot having a spout anda valve member, the valve member being selectively positionable betweenan opened position and a closed position relative to the spigot where inthe opened position a flow path from the container interior volumethrough the spigot and spout is opened and in the closed position theflow path is closed; the spigot has an interior passageway and internalscrew threads along at least a portion of the interior passageway; and,the valve member has external screw threads that are threaded into theinternal screw threads of the spigot so that turning the valve member inopposite directions causes the valve member to move in oppositedirections through the spigot interior passageway.
 4. A cookingapparatus comprising: a container having a bottom surface and a sidewall, the side wall extending upwardly from the bottom surface to a topedge of the side wall, the bottom surface and the side wall defining aninterior volume of the container; at least one manual handle attached tothe container side wall, the handle being adapted for manually carryingthe container by the handle; a spigot attached to the container andcommunicating with the container interior, the spigot having a spout anda valve member, the valve member being selectively positionable betweenan open position and a closed position relative to the spigot where inthe opened position a flow path from the container interior volumethrough the spigot and spout is opened and in the closed position theflow path is closed; the spigot has opposite first and second ends andan interior passageway that passes through the spigot and intersects thefirst and second ends; and, the spout projects from the spigotintermediate the spigot first and second ends and the spout has aninterior passageway that communicates with the spigot interior passgway.5. The cooking apparatus of claim 4, wherein: the spigot interiorpassageway has internal screw threads that extend along at least aportion of the spigot interior passageway; and, the valve member hasexternal screw threads that are threaded through the spigot second endand into the internal screw threads of the spigot whereby turning thevalve member in a first direction causes the valve member to movethrough the spigot interior passageway toward the spigot first end andturning the valve member in an opposite second direction causes thevalve member to move through the spigot interior passageway away fromthe spigot first end.
 6. The cooking apparatus of claim 5, wherein: astop projects from the spigot second end to a position where the stopengages with the valve member as the valve member is moved away from thespigot first end and thereby prevents further movement of the valvemember away from the spigot first end.
 7. The cooking apparatus of claim6, wherein: the stop has a U-shaped configuration that projects from thespigot second end and loops around the valve member.
 8. A cookingapparatus comprising: a container having a bottom surface and a sidewall, the side wall extending upwardly from the bottom surface to a topedge of the side wall, the bottom surface and the side wall defining aninterior volume of the container; a spigot attached to the containerside wall, the spigot has opposite first and second ends and an interiorpassageway extending through the spigot between the first and secondends, at least a portion of the interior passageway has internal screwthreading, the spigot is attached to the container side wall at thespigot first end and the spigot interior passageway communicates withthe container interior volume; a spout projecting from the spigotintermediate the spigot first and second ends, the spout has an interiorpassageway with opposite first and second ends, the spout interiorpassageway first end communicates with the spigot interior passagewayand the spout interior passageway second end opens out of the spout; avalve member having opposite first and second ends and external screwthreads on at least a portion of the valve member, the valve membersecond end projects from the spigot second end and the valve memberextends through the spigot second end into the spigot interiorpassageway, the external screw threads of the valve member engage withthe internal screw threads of the spigot interior passageway wherebyrotation of the valve member in a first direction moves the valve memberfirst end through the spigot interior passageway toward the container toa closed position of the valve member where the valve member first endis positioned between the spigot first end and the spout, and rotationof the valve member in an opposite, second direction moves the valvemember first end through the spigot interior passageway away from thecontainer to an opened position of the valve member first end where thevalve member first end is positioned between the spigot second end andthe spout thereby opening communication from the container interiorvolume through the spigot interior passageway and the spout interiorpassageway.
 9. The cooking apparatus of claim 8, wherein: a stop isoperatively attached to the container and is positioned where it engageswith the valve member when the valve member is rotated in the seconddirection and thereby prevents further movement of the valve memberfirst end away from the container.
 10. The cooking apparatus of claim 9,wherein: the stop is attached to the spigot.
 11. The cooking apparatusof claim 8, wherein: a stop projects from the spigot second end to aposition where it engages with the valve member as the valve member isrotated in the second direction and thereby prevents further movement ofthe valve member first end away from the container.
 12. The cookingapparatus of claim 11, wherein: the stop has a U-shaped configurationthat projects from the spigot second end and loops around the valvemember.
 13. The cooking apparatus of claim 11, wherein: the stop isU-shaped and has opposite ends that are attached to opposite sides ofthe spigot and has an intermediate portion that loops around the valvemember second end projecting from the spigot second end.
 14. The cookingapparatus of claim 8, wherein: the container is transportable and has atleast one handle for manually carrying the container.
 15. A cookingapparatus comprising: a container having a bottom surface and a sidewall, the side wall extending upwardly from the bottom surface to a topedge of the side wall, the bottom surface and the side wall defining aninterior of the container; a spigot attached to the container side walland in communication with the container interior, the spigot having avalve member and a spout, the valve member being selectivelypositionable between an opened position and a closed position relativeto the spigot, the spout being in communication with the spigot when thevalve member is in the opened position opening a flow path from thecontainer interior through the spigot and the spout, and the spout notbeing in communication with the spigot when the valve member is in theclosed position closing the flow path from the container interiorthrough the spigot and the spout; and a valve stop located on anexterior of the spigot and preventing the removal of the valve memberfrom the spigot.
 16. The cooking apparatus of claim 15, wherein: thespigot has first and second ends and a threaded interior passagewayextending through the spigot between the first end and the second end,the spigot is attached to the container side wall at the spigot firstend and the spigot passageway communicates with the container interior;the spout has an interior passageway having first and second ends, thespout passageway first end communicates with the spigot passageway, thespout passageway second end opens out of the spout; the valve member isthreaded and has opposite first and second ends, the valve member isthreaded in the spigot passageway with the valve member second endextending outwardly from the spigot second end, the threads of the valvemember engage with the threads of the spigot passageway allowing thevalve member to be selectively rotated in opposite directions within thespigot passageway, the selective rotation of the valve member causingthe valve member to move along the spigot passageway between the firstand second spigot ends and between closed and opened positions of thevalve member relative to the spigot with the closed position being whenthe valve member first end is between the spout first end and the spigotfirst end thereby preventing communication between the spout passagewayand the spigot passageway, the opened position being when the valvemember first end is between the spout first end and the spigot secondend thereby allowing communication between the spout passageway and thespigot passageway; and the valve member stop is connected to the spigotsecond end and extends outwardly from the spigot second end, the stopbeing dimensioned and adapted to limit the movement of the valve memberalong the spigot passageway thereby preventing the valve member frombeing removed from the spigot passageway second end.
 17. The cookingapparatus of claim 16, wherein: the valve member stop is U-shaped andloops around the valve member second end.
 18. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 15, wherein: the container is transportable and has at least onehandle for manually carrying the container.
 19. A cooking apparatuscomprising: a food support having a horizontal member and at least onevertical member, the horizontal member being adapted for supporting afood item thereon, the at least one vertical member extending upwardlyfrom the horizontal member and having a support connector; a containerhaving a bottom surface and a side wall, the side wall extendingupwardly from the bottom surface to a top edge of the side wall, thebottom surface and the side wall defining an interior of the container,the side wall top edge being adapted to engage with the at least onevertical member support connector to suspend the food support proximatethe bottom surface of the container when the food support is within thecontainer interior; and a spigot attached to the container side wall andin communication with the container interior, the spigot having a valvemember and a spout, the valve member being selectively positionablebetween an opened position and a closed position relative to the spigot,the spout being in communication with the container interior when thevalve member is in the opened position opening a flow path from thecontainer interior through the spigot and the spout, and the spout notbeing in communication with the container interior when the valve memberis in the closed position closing the flow path from the containerinterior through the spigot and the spout.
 20. The cooking apparatus ofclaim 19, further comprising: a manual handle with a lifting hook, thelifting hook being complementary to and connectable to the verticalmember support connector to enable the food support to be lifted intoand out of the container interior without requiring a user of thelifting hook to reach over the container interior.
 21. The cookingapparatus of claim 20, wherein: the manual handle and the lifting hookare on a lid of the container.
 22. The cooking apparatus of claim 19,wherein: the at least one food support vertical member is one of aplurality of vertical members, the plurality of vertical members eachhaving support connectors complementary to and connectable to the sidewall top edge to suspend the food support proximate the bottom surfaceof the container when the food support is within the container interior.23. The cooking apparatus of claim 22, wherein: the support connectorsare each generally inverted “U” shaped hooks.
 24. The cooking apparatusof claim 23, further comprising: a pair of lifting hooks, the pair oflifting hooks being complementary to and connectable to the plurality ofsupport connectors to enable the food support to be lifted into and outof the container interior without requiring a user to reach over thecontainer interior.
 25. The cooking apparatus of claim 22, wherein: thefood support horizontal member is perforated and has a peripheral edge,and a perforated side wall extends upwardly from the horizontal memberperipheral edge, the perforated side wall and the perforated horizontalmember defining an interior of the food support.
 26. The cookingapparatus of claim 19, further comprising: a lid dimensioned to fit overthe container top edge, a handle on the lid, and at least one lidconnector on the lid; the at least one lid connector being complementaryto and connectable to the vertical member support connector, therebyallowing the food support to be inserted into and removed from thecontainer interior by the lid.
 27. The cooking apparatus of claim 26,wherein: the lid has a peripheral edge, opposite top and bottomsurfaces, and a vertical central axis, the lid top and bottom surfacesslanting downwardly as the lid top and bottom surfaces extend radiallyinwardly from the peripheral edge toward the central axis to form acentral depression in the lid.
 28. The cooking apparatus of claim 27,wherein: the central depression is conical.